End of the Beginning
by Palantiri
Summary: (Sequel to Hidden from the Light) It’s been a month since the gang has shut down Lyoko. But when X.A.N.A. escapes and takes Aelita and Yumi hostage, the others have to restore Lyoko to resurrect the deleted and shut down X.A.N.A.
1. Ressurrection

Disclaimer: I don't own Code: Lyoko or anything related to it. Not now, not ever.  
  
**Important:** Do not read this unless you have read Hidden from the Light.  
  
_Chapter 1: Resurrection  
_  
A black smoke oozed out of an electrical socket, slipping through to the super–computer in the old, abandoned factory. It slid into the computer and flipped through the files. 'Ah. The materialization program. Jeremie didn't delete it. So now I can use it.' It slid through the wall, down into the scanner room. It slipped into an empty scanner and began the materialization process. There was a person in the scanner when it was done. "Finally, I am ready to wreak havoc on the real world," the man chuckled evilly.  
  
**In the cafeteria  
**  
"Yes! It's finally vacation!!" Yumi smiled. Odd grinned as well.  
  
"I had a most pleasant and enjoyable rest. Tell me, Jeremie, why do you humans sleep?" Aelita said cheerfully.  
  
"Well Aelita, you see, we humans get tired after a long day of work. That's why we sleep," Jeremie patiently explained.  
  
"And what is Odd eating so much for?" she asked innocently.  
  
Ulrich smiled. "He's just a hole that can never be filled,"  
  
Yumi grinned. 'Remember when we rescued him from Lyoko, and he was stuffing his face with mashed potatoes?"  
  
Aelita smiled and suddenly let it fade. "Yes... I remember that and the rest of the mission..." she sighed.  
  
Yumi looked sad as well. "Yeah..." Her eyes clouded over.  
  
"Geez, why do you two always think about it Just forget it, and move on!" Ulrich cried, exasperated.  
  
"God, Ulrich! I thought at least, you would understand! You know what happened!" Yumi nearly shouted.

"Fianna even said herself to move on. Why can't you?" Jeremie asked, slightly perturbed.  
  
"Jeremie, if we forget her, we will forget an important sacrifice! How can we forget a friend? We would be insulting her memory!" Aelita cried, hurt.  
  
"It's just that you guys have bee mourning for her for so long. Get over it!!" Ulrich said, frustrated.  
  
"You don't understand. You never will," Yumi said, suddenly emotionless. "Come on, Aelita. Let's go."  
  
"We will go to my room," Aelita declared. They stalked off.  
  
Odd looked up from his lunch. "What just happened?" he inquired.  
  
"Aelita and Yumi just were remembering Fianna," Ulrich replied sourly.  
  
"Again?!? What for?" Odd exclaimed.  
  
"You're asking me? Go ask them!" Ulrich fumed.  
  
"Alright, but when you come to me for help with your tail between your legs, I can't help you," Odd smirked.  
  
Ulrich growled, annoyed, as he watched Odd walk to Aelita's room. "You know, Jeremie, I think this is Annoy Ulrich day. Why didn't I get the memo?"  
  
"Hmm. I didn't get it either. Well in that case, see you later," Jeremie quickly said. He hurried out.  
  
Ulrich buried his face in his hands. "This can't get any worse," he grumbled.  
  
"Hello, Ulrich dear," a high and obnoxious voice startled him out of his reverie.  
  
"Okay, it just did. Go away, Sissy. I'm not in the mood to argue with you," Ulrich sighed.  
  
"Whatever. But just remember, Ulrich, I'm always waiting to catch you after your friends dump you," Sissy smirked, leaving Ulrich with another thought.  
  
'Do they really hate me?'  
  
Review!!! Constructive criticism are accepted with enthusiasm, while flames are used to make s'mores.


	2. Confession

Disclaimer: I don't own Code: Lyoko or anything related to it. If I owned it, I would be thinking of a second season, not writing a fanfic!!!  
  
_Chapter 2: Confession  
_  
Yumi and Aelita settled down on her bed. "Aelita, I have a confession to make," Yumi began.  
  
"So do I," Aelita said, lowering her eyes.  
  
"Well, I feel that Fianna shouldn't have sacrificed herself. I kinda feel that Ulrich or Odd should have," Yumi smiled sadly.  
  
"Well, that's why I came to you, Yumi. I feel, I believe it is called, guilty," Aelita sighed.  
  
"Fianna really shouldn't have been sacrificed!!!" Yumi cried. "Now that Ulrich and Odd are back, I just want to kill them or something. They get on my nerves!"  
  
"Yumi, shhh. Calm down," Aelita smiled, sending off waves of calm and serenity.  
  
"I just miss Fianna a lot. We were really close friends after just a couple weeks," Yumi sniffed.  
  
They looked at each other and burst out into sobs. Unfortunately, that was when Odd entered. "Aelita, Yumi, what's..." Odd drifted off, shocked by the sight.  
  
"Odd, why are you here?" Aelita asked, exasperated.  
  
"It's just that you and Yumi have been getting...distant lately. We miss Fianna too, but we don't need you two blubbering about it when we mention it!" Odd exploded.  
  
Aelita's eyes grew cold and narrow. "Odd, if you don't want us here, then we will leave," she declared. She pulled on Yumi's arm, and they stormed off.  
  
Odd gaped. The girls were taking it the completely wrong way. "Wait Aelita! I didn't mean it like that!" They were gone. He sighed.  
  
"What's wrong, Odd?" Jeremie asked.  
  
"Aelita and Yumi. They just are taking it too hard," Odd slumped into an empty chair. "I don't know what to do."  
  
"They're girls; they'll get over it," Jeremie comforted.  
  
"You didn't see. Aelita was so cold to me. They are really upset, I'm sure," Odd said.  
  
**In the park  
**  
"Aelita, where are we going?" Yumi asked.  
  
"The factory. I need some alone time," Aelita answered. They climbed down the ladder and skate–boarded to the factory. The pair ran across the bridge, swung down the ropes, and entered the elevator. The doors opened to reveal the super–computer, the chair swiveled forward, facing it. "That's strange, I don't remember Jeremie turning to face the computer," Aelita said, confused.  
  
"Of course not, Aelita dear, I'm here," said a voice from the chair. It turned to reveal...  
  
"X.A.N.A." Yumi glared.  
  
"Of course," he replied silkily and smirked. "You girls are coming with me." He grabbed them by the forearm, and blind–folded them.  
  
"I have to leave a message for the others," X.A.N.A. smiled and began to write.  
  
**In Aelita's room**  
  
"You know, Jeremie, I'm worried. They should be back by now," Odd said, worried. "What if something happened?"  
  
"They'll be fine. It's not like X.A.N.A. has come back or something," Jeremie grinned.  
  
"I don't know, Jeremie. I've just got a bad feeling about this," Odd sighed.  
  
**In the factory  
**  
"Let us go!" Yumi yelled.  
  
"Now, Yumi, why would I do that?" X.A.N.A. reasoned. Yumi rolled her eyes. "Well, you tow are coming with me." He dragged them away from the factory.  
  
"Yumi?"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"I'm scared."  
  
"So am I."  
  
Yay! Another chapter done. My cousins are coming over on Thursday, July 8, so I probably won't be able to update for a while after then. 


	3. Notes

Disclaimer: I don't own Code: Lyoko or anything related to it. I wish I did, but I don't.

_Chapter 3: Notes_

Ulrich walked to Aelita's dorm. He figured the others would be there. As he entered, only Jeremie looked up. Odd was staring off into space. "Odd? Are you still there?" Ulrich asked.

"Guys! We have to go to the factory! I have a really bad feeling! It's like my Foresight! I think Aelita and Yumi are in trouble," Odd yelled suddenly.

"Can you prove it?" Jeremie asked as he was dragged along by Odd with Ulrich.

"Let's go!" was his only answer. They descended into the sewers.

"Look! Aelita's and Yumi's skateboards are gone! We have to go!" Odd started to panic.

"Calm down, Odd! We're going, we're going!!" Ulrich called. They hurried, egged on by Odd's furious shouts. He swung down the ropes and went into the elevator, just like the two girls before them. If they had looked closely in the shadows, they would have seen X.A.N.A. dragging two figures away.

As the elevator reached the super–computer, it dragged to a stop and slowly opened. Yumi and Aelita weren't here. "See, Odd, they're fine, probably giggling somewhere," Jeremie said, annoyed.

"Then, why were their skateboards at the entrance of the manhole?" Odd asked furiously.

Ulrich was not listening. He was wandering around. "Hey guys! Come look at this. It's a note," he called. He read it, and his eyes widened. He crumpled it and swore.

"Ulrich, what's wrong?" Jeremie asked, scared and wide–eyed. Ulrich calmed down visibly enough to point at the note in his hand and dropped it in Odd's hand. Ulrich then walked off, eyes narrowed to slits. Jeremie and Odd squished together to read the note.

_Jeremie, Odd, and Ulrich,_

_I suppose you are wondering where Aelita and Yumi are. By the time you read this note, they will be hidden in a place you will never find. My demands are simple: find Fianna and come to the factory tomorrow at 3 PM with her. Then I will let Aelita and Yumi go in exchange for Fianna and Ulrich. Simple enough, no? Hurry or Aelita and Yumi will be gone. Forever._

_X.A.N.A._

Odd took a deep breath. "I knew there was something wrong," he stated.

Jeremie's eyes widened suddenly. "Oh my God. Look at the signature," he breathed.

Ulrich and Odd crowded together to see. "X.A.N.A." Ulrich growled.

"How did he escape?" Odd asked wide–eyed.

"Probably right before being deleted, he escaped. Who knows?" Jeremie said, clueless.

"I can't believe it!!!" Ulrich yelled desperately.

"We have to pull ourselves together. We have to save them!" Odd began.

"How, Odd?!?!? If you have a brilliant idea, let's hear it," Jeremie interrupted.

"X.A.N.A. wants Fianna, right? Let's go restore Lyoko and get her!" Odd explained.

"Odd, you always surprise me!" Jeremie yelled. "Let's go. I'll restore Lyoko. You two go to the scanners."

Jeremie restored Lyoko and began his now–familiar speech. "I'm sending you where Fianna was last. Transfer Odd. Transfer Ulrich. Scanner Odd. Scanner Ulrich. Virtualization."

Odd and Ulrich dropped down to where Fianna and X.A.N.A. were last. Fianna was there, running over. "Why are you here? I thought I left a note to not restore Lyoko!" Fianna scolded.

"We know. It's just that Yumi and Aelita have been kidnapped," Ulrich explained.

Fianna's eyes clouded over, just like Yumi's had. "He's holding them hostage, and won't hand them over unless I come." She finished listlessly.

"How did you know...?" Odd asked. "And why does he want you and Ulrich?"

"You don't remember I'm a mind–reader? No, you wouldn't, I never told you or Ulrich." She sighed. "X.A.N.A. has a lot of reasons to want me or Ulrich. I can read minds; it's a useful ability. He can triplify. But the real reason is something a lot more..." she drifted.

"Tell us please," Ulrich pleaded.

"You two may want to sit. It's a long story," she instructed. They got themselves comfortable. She began...

Review!!! Or no one will know the full story except me!!!


	4. Plans

Disclaimer: I don't own Code: Lyoko or anything related to it. I wish I did, but I don't.  
  
_Chapter 4: Plans  
_  
Aelita and Yumi were stuffed into a warehouse. "Wait here, girls. Here's food to last you." A sack was tossed at them. "The others should hurry. I'm waiting..."  
  
"Yumi?"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"I have a sort of confession to make."  
  
**In the Lyoko desert region  
**  
"Well, Lyoko's being is split into many parts. You know, the desert, the forest, the glacial region, and the mountains. Well, the creators locked Lyoko's being into four people. Each one had a piece. Aelita has the mountains, Ulrich, you have the desert, Yumi owns the glacial region, and me, I have the forest," Fianna explained.  
  
"Hey wait, does X.A.N.A. know that?" Odd asked.  
  
"Of course. That's why he kidnapped Yumi and Aelita. Aelita knows her heritage, but Yumi doesn't. Ulrich, you know now, and I've known it for a long time. Aelita told me about it," Fianna answered.  
  
"So he isn't going to return Yumi and Aelita, is he?" Ulrich said slowly.  
  
"No, I'm afraid not. He wants to have all of us. With the four of us in his possession, he can rule Lyoko," Fianna smiled sadly.  
  
Jeremie was listening. "So if he has all four for you, he will have Lyoko and the world at his knees, hmm?"  
  
"Yes. That's why it is crucial that Ulrich and I stay out of his clutches," Fianna said tiredly.  
  
**Meanwhile in the warehouse  
**  
Yumi was getting the same story from Aelita. "If X.A.N.A. gets Ulrich and Fianna, he can rule Lyoko!" Aelita cried, distressed.  
  
"Why didn't you ever tell Ulrich and me about it when you told Fianna?" Yumi asked.  
  
"She got slightly self–conscious in Lyoko. I didn't want the same mistake with you two." Aelita smiled sadly.

**In the Lyoko desert region  
**  
"So how are we going to save them?" Odd wondered.  
  
"I have no ideas," confessed Fianna.  
  
"What if Fianna and I distract X.A.N.A. while Odd and Jeremie go get Aelita and Yumi?" Ulrich suggested.  
  
Fianna quickly quashed this idea when she pointed out, "And do it over and over, vise versa all the time? Thanks, but I would rather not waste my life doing that."  
  
"You have a better idea?" Ulrich snapped.  
  
"I have one that won't take forever. It's almost the exact same as Ulrich's except that Jeremie and Odd distract X.A.N.A. while Ulrich and I go find them. Then somehow Odd and Jeremie escape," Fianna smiled.  
  
"It's crude but might work," Jeremie admitted.  
  
"Well, then let's go!" Odd grinned.  
  
"Log out Odd. Log out Ulrich. Log out Fianna," Jeremie said.  
  
"Let's go," Ulrich ordered tensely.  
  
"We are not going anywhere," Fianna stated icily. Ulrich whirled.  
  
"What do you mean?" he asked, furiously.  
  
"I, for one, don't want to barge on in without a clue what to do and mess up the whole entire mission. You need to hold in your temper. I know you have a crush on Yumi..." Fianna began and was immediately shushed by Ulrich.  
  
"I don't care, Mr. In denial, you like Yumi. Anyways, you can't let your feeling cloud your judgment. Even so, I swear I will do anything I can to save Aelita and Yumi," Fianna declared  
  
"I do too," Odd stated resolutely.  
  
"I'm in," Jeremie said firmly.  
  
"Alright. Let's figure out a good plan before we go defeat X.A.N.A. forever," Ulrich sighed. 'Yumi, Aelita, we're coming.'  
  
Review!!! Flames will be used for s'mores, but constructive criticism is happily accepted.


	5. Disguise

Disclaimer: I don't own Code: Lyoko or anything related to it. Happy, lawyers?  
  
_Chapter 5: Disguise_  
  
"I am not going to dress up like a girl!!!" Odd screamed as they discussed their plan.  
  
"Please Odd? You're the only one with long enough hair to resemble mine," Fianna pleaded.  
  
"No!!! Dressing like a girl is crazy! Besides Jeremie and I would have to dye our hair," Odd pouted.  
  
"Odd, do you want half of Lyoko in X.A.N.A.'s clutches, as well as Yumi and Aelita?" Ulrich asked in disbelief.  
  
"No..." he began.  
  
"Good. Jeremie, you might want to borrow Ulrich's clothes. Odd, you need to, also. That comes later. I'll get hair dye and gel to smooth down Odd's hair. Ulrich, you and I will sneak up back. If X.A.N.A. catches us, well, we run for our lives," Fianna half–smiled.  
  
"Okay, now for the disguises," Odd frowned apprehensively. "I'm not sure I like this."  
  
**Two hours later  
**  
"I'm a girl now!! It's sort of fun," Odd smiled.  
  
"Shut up, Odd. I'm unlucky. If Sissy sees me, I will be dead," Jeremie frowned. "I don't like this."  
  
"Now you see what my life is like," Ulrich smirked.  
  
"Well, you guys actually look like us," Fianna grinned ferally. "Get a mirror." She handed them two compacts.  
  
"AHHHH!!!!!! I want my real body!!!!!!!" Odd shrieked. He fainted.  
  
"I don't want to be Ulrich. It's to save Aelita. Aelita, Aelita...." Jeremie chanted.  
  
"Let's go. It's almost 3. Remember you guys, ask X.A.N.A. why he needs you. Distract him as best as you can," Fianna instructed.  
  
"Yes sir, yes sir!" Odd saluted.  
  
"Alright!" Jeremie punched the air, showing an unusual show of enthusiasm.  
  
"Let's go!" Ulrich yelled.  
  
Luckily for them, they didn't meet anyone on their trip to the factory. Fianna peeked down. "X.A.N.A.'s there. Good luck, Jeremie and Odd." The two swung down from the daylight into the dark gloom.  
  
"Ah. You have come. At last, I can rule Lyoko!" X.A.N.A. grinned. "And the world!"  
  
"What do you mean?" Odd asked innocently. "And where are Aelita and Yumi?"  
  
"Oh. They are downstairs in the scanner room. And you mean to tell me Aelita never told you?"  
  
"Told us what?"  
  
**With Ulrich and Fianna**  
  
"Let's go," Fianna whispered.  
  
"Where?!?" Ulrich quietly asked, exasperated.  
  
"Didn't you hear? They are in the scanner room. Of course we have to climb there. They slid down the ropes and watched X.A.N.A. explain about Lyoko's being.  
  
"Over there. There's an opening there (see the episode _Cruel Dilemma_)," Ulrich pointed, and they leapt down.  
  
"Here! Down this ladder should bring us to the scanners," Fianna whispered in triumph.  
  
The two climbed down and reached the scanner room.  
  
"Yumi! Aelita!"  
  
**With Jeremie and Odd**  
  
"So if I have you two, I can rule Lyoko and Earth!" X.A.N.A. yelled.  
  
"Wrong. Not if we can help it," Jeremie said, acting exactly like Ulrich. Jeremie and Odd picked up a metal staff and prepared to fight.  
  
grins There! dusts hands Another chapter done! Another coming soon; I'm on another writing spree. 


	6. Realization

Disclaimer: I don't own Code: Lyoko or anything related to it. Never.

_Codelyokofreak_: lol, it's here finally. I'm glad you like the story.

_Hiei the Master of the Dragon_: Thanks! Ah, the dedicated reviewer.

_Raven_: It's been updated now! Voila!

_Chapter 6: Ending the Fight_

**With Ulrich and Fianna**

"Yumi! Aelita!" Fianna cried in excitement. She ran over and untied the ropes entangling them. Ulrich pulled off their blind–folds.

"Thanks goodness you two are here!" Aelita smiled.

"Let's sneak out of here," Ulrich sighed.

Fianna looked at him pityingly. "How? Unless you haven't noticed, X.A.N.A. would realize that his hostages are gone. We will have to fight our way out."

"Well, what can we arm ourselves with?" Yumi asked.

"I don't know, but we can lure X.A.N.A. to Lyoko and fight him there," Fianna suggested.

Ulrich frowned. "How will we do that without Jeremie at the computer?"

"Ulrich!!! You would think you were here, hostage. Jeremie came with us, remember? We can go up, yell at X.A.N.A., slip into Lyoko and fight there. Got it everyone?" Fianna instructed.

**With Jeremie and Odd**

Odd parried another blow from X.A.N.A. and leaped back. Jeremie rushed forward, hoping to buy the others some time. He parried, but struggled as X.A.N.A. applied pressure. "You aren't really that strong, are you, Ulrich?" X.A.N.A. smiled evilly.

"Oh, that's only because that's not me," said Ulrich's voice from the shadows. He stepped out, flanked by Yumi, Fianna, and Aelita. X.A.N.A. scowled and suddenly grinned.

"Well, if it isn't the Lyoko beings," he hissed. "I will possess you four! I will!" He lunged at them. Fianna leapt and knocked everyone down. Yumi ran to Jeremie and explained. The other three were dodging X.A.N.A.'s attacks. Jeremie swiftly told Odd the plan. Odd then tapped Fianna who ran to the elevator and slid down to the scanners. Ulrich, Yumi, Aelita, and Odd followed.

They were virtualized and instantly started to sprint off. The five were in the mountains. Aelita swiftly used a rock to block X.A.N.A.'s lasers and caused an avalanche to bury him. They ran to the desert where Ulrich caused sandstorms to blow X.A.N.A. off course and unable to see them. The four proceeded to the glacial region where Yumi made him slip and fall. He was slowing down. "We are wearing him down," Yumi smiled. "Perfect." Finally they reached the forest. Trees and stones fell on him, finally trapping him.

"Let's leave. Finally he is gone," Aelita grinned in triumph.

"Alright. Just a minute, okay?" Fianna agreed. She slipped thorough X.A.N.A.'s defenses and sifted through his mind. 'He's ... sad? Why in the world would X.A.N.A. be sad?' She slid out and into Aelita's mind. 'She...hates us? What the?' She forced herself back into her own mind and found herself sweating.

"What's wrong?" Odd looked down at her, concerned.

"No. We can't shut down Lyoko," Fianna ordered icily.

"Are you crazy?!? Finally we get a chance to leave, and you won't let us!" Aelita yelled.

"No. That is not X.A.N.A." Fianna said. She grabbed X.A.N.A.'s hand and pulled him up. She pointed at Aelita. "She is."

"Are you crazy? It's X.A.N.A., the one we have been battling all the time!" Ulrich yelled.

"Are you sure?" Fianna inquired.

"Yes!!!" Yumi screamed.

"You aren't sure. You don't know if it's an imposter. You can't read minds. I can, and that is not Aelita," she declared, pointing at Aelita.

"Good, Fianna, very good. But not good enough," Aelita hissed. She transformed into a cloud of black smoke. "Now, we will battle to the end." The sky turned a cloudy black. She shot a bolt of black lightning at Odd, who collapsed and materialized. Ulrich was enraged and flew at her, who just let Ulrich pass through her. X–Aelita hit him with lightning as well. He materialized. X–Aelita charged at the real Aelita, cowering behind Yumi and Fianna. She ducked but couldn't manage to dodge the lightning bolt.

"Fianna, what banishes a shadow?" whispered Aelita as she disappeared.

Muhahaha! I know this is a lame ending spot. Next chapter coming soon, if you review.


	7. Activation

Disclaimer: I don't own Code: Lyoko, but I do own Fianna.

Ughhh... I'm sorry this chapter is _extremely_ late, but I was VERY busy. Please accept my humblest apologies.

_Chapter 7: Activation  
___

Yumi and Fianna panted as they raced to the polar region with X.A.N.A. on their heels. Fianna was still pondering on Aelita's last words. "We're here," Yumi said tensely. "Any ideas?" 

"Yes, just one. RUN!!!! Another coming right up!" Fianna screamed.

They raced down to a tunnel and slid down swiftly. "What's at the end of this tunnel?"

"Well, a sheer drop..." Yumi began.

"Great. AHHHH!!!!" Fianna shrieked.

Yumi somersaulted and landed on her feet. Fianna landed in a drift of snow headfirst. "Now where do we to go?" Yumi asked as she stood up.

"Forest region. Hey, do you how to defeat a shadow?" Fianna said.

"Oh, light, of course!" Yumi exclaimed.

"Okay, let's go and make light!" Fianna and Yumi plowed on through the snow and ice.

"Well, how are we going to make light?" Yumi asked, confused.

"I could ask the trees to move apart to let sunlight in," Fianna suggested.

"Okay. Now hurry!!" Yumi shouted as X.A.N.A. sped up a little. The girls sprinted as fast as possible and soon reached the forest. Fianna knelt and sang a pure note. Yumi watched her protectively. If Fianna messed up, they were both dead. She eyed X.A.N.A. approaching apprehensively. "Hurry up Fianna. Big, bad and ugly is seconds away!" she warned.

"I know. It will work, I promise."

Fianna focused extremely hard. "I have to do this right," she thought urgently. "If not, we are _so_ busted! ...There. Finally. Just wait.....** NOW**!"

X.A.N.A. had reached the clearing. He was drifting to Yumi, intent on strangling her. Fianna shoved the trees apart mentally, and they complied willingly. X.A.N.A. was coiling around Yumi's neck when sunlight burst in from the canopy. The shadow seems to shriek in anger and pain and began to dissolve. Seconds before it vanished, it formed into a towering Crab. "Uh–oh. I was hoping it would die already," Fianna sweat–dropped.

**In the factory**

"Uh guys? Not to pressure you or anything, but X.A.N.A. has 1000 lifepoints! Hurry up!!!" Jeremie cried, his voice raising an octave.

Yumi's voice rose from the screen. "Sure. No prob. We'll just kill this Crab that has 1000 lifepoints and go home, why don't we Fianna? If you haven't noticed, we don't have full lifepoints!"

"Shut up, Yumi. Freaking out won't do a thing," Fianna instructed. Yumi took a deep, calming breath. "Jeremie, how many lifepoints do we have?"

"Yumi has 95 lifepoints. Fianna, you have 90..." Jeremie started

"Thanks to that spectacular faceplant," Odd butted in.

"Oh shut it, Odd," Fianna scowled. Odd smirked though Fianna couldn't see.

"Hey guys, why don't you stop distracting them? They have enough work as it is," Ulrich suggested.

"Yeah. That would be nice!" Yumi yelled.

"Oh yeah, Yumi. Go side with your boyfriend," Odd cracked. Yumi and Ulrich blushed.

"Everyone, just shut up already, except Aelita and Jeremie. They are already quiet," Fianna ordered.

**In the Lyoko forest region**

Jeremie's voice rained down on them. "Keep going, guys! He only had 530 lifepoints left, while Yumi has 80 and Fianna has 75."

"Okay."

X.A.N.A. growled and scuttled away. "It's not the last of me. You will see." Suddenly the Crab disappeared.

Aelita's voice rang out from all around. "Guys! A tower has been activated!"

Fianna panicked. "How will we deactive it? It's Aelita who does that!"

"No time! Go! We're being attacked by evil squirrels!!!!" Odd screamed.

"Are you joking, Odd?" Yumi asked in disbelief.

"No, he's right for once. The tower is in the polar region. Go!" Jeremie yelled before being dragged off by a swarm of squirrels.

"Come on, we've got a tower to deactivate!" Yumi commanded.

"Yes sir, yes sir!" Fianna saluted in attention.

"The pulsations lead that way!" Yumi discovered.

"Okay! We'll follow the yellow–brick road of pulsations. Follow the yellow–brick pulsations, follow the yellow–brick pulsations!" Fianna sang, skipping off.

Yumi groaned. "Shut up!" Fianna did. "Thank you. Let's go."

I'm in a giving mood. Most likely because my cousins are _finally_ gone. Here you are!


	8. Tower

**

* * *

Disclaimer: **Roses are red  
Violets are blue  
I don't own anything  
So pretty please don't sue

_Raven_: Thanks! Here is the new chapter!

_Artemis of the Ice_: Thank you! I'm glad you liked them. I know I write short chapters, but I have to end it decently...

_MH_: Thanks!

_easterndragon65_: Thank you for reviewing most of my stories. I haven't gotten a flame yet, but if I do, I shall send you a virtual s'more.

_Kay_: Thanks! I'm happy that you find it funny!

_Chapter 8: Tower_

The two girls sprinted through the forest. "Since the tower's in the polar region, can we take a shortcut through the tower?" Fianna panted.

"Sure. Here we are," Yumi breathed in relief. The two stepped into the tower gracefully and walked to the edge of the platform. Fianna sighed and closed her eyes as she pushed off gently and fell down in the swan dive position. She started slowing as she reached the next platform and floated gently up to it and touched down. Yumi landed neatly seconds afterward. The two stepped out of the tower into the freezing ice-land.

"Look! The pulsations lead that way." Fianna pointed and they started to run. They had just reached a cross-road where the pulsations led two different ways when they realized a tiny army awaited them when a Roachster shot at Yumi. It missed, but the two girls were now alerted to the welcoming committee that consisted of two Blocks and five Roachsters. "Fianna, I'll get the Blocks. Take care of the Roachsters, got it?"

"Yes ma'am!"

"Alright then, let's go!"

Yumi danced in the laserfire and aimed at a Block. Swiftly dodging a freezing laser that only Blocks could do, she threw her fan and quickly ducked behind a glacier. From there, she caught her fan and aimed carefully at the Block. She released, and as it cut through, Yumi turned away to see Fianna finish off the last Roachster.

Fianna easily dodged the lasers aimed at her and threw her fan. Quickly running behind a glacier, she caught her fan and climbed up. From her vantage point, she could easily hit the Roachsters. From there, she picked them off one by one. Finally she leapt down.

The two slid on the smooth ice of the polar region as they skated down to the tower. Swiftly jumping down, they sprinted as quickly as possible to the tower. From there, they saw three Crabs and four Blocks waiting for them. "Uh-oh."

* * *

Aelita, Jeremie, Odd, and Ulrich had gotten thin, metal staffs that they used to fend off the squirrels. They had backed up into a small square, their backs facing each others. They made their way to the computer. "Yumi, Fianna, hurry up! We can't hold them off for much longer!"

"Yeah sure, we'll just use our amazing powers of destruction and do so. We're doing the best that we can, right now," Yumi said, annoyed.

"Whatever, just hurry!" Odd butted in.

"We are!" Fianna yelled.

"Just go!" Aelita screamed as she was bitten by a squirrel. "These things have rabies!! I'm quite certain that X.A.N.A. will have sped up the process."

* * *

"Alright, we'll hurry. You take the Blocks this time. I'll get the Crabs," Yumi ordered.

"No problem," Fianna replied and threw her fan almost lazily at the Block, letting it explode before it had a chance to fire. She caught it and blocked the shot the next one took at her. Neatly dodging another laser, she noted that the Blocks had circled her. Two Blocks fired at the same time as she flipped away, letting the lasers zoom past each other and hit the other. Fianna was suddenly hit from behind by the last Blocks and flew back, hitting an ice wall. Before she could even stand, the Block scuttled forward and was about to freeze her when she summoned her staff, leapt on top of it, and yelled, "Shatter!" As she plunged it into the eye of the Block, she leapt off and after it exploded, calmly raised her hand and caught the staff.

Yumi was easily dodged lasers from the Crabs and somersaulted onto the first Crab and stuck her fan in the symbol. She leapt to the next one as it smashed in oblivion. The Crab bucked, and she dropped to the ground. She threw her fan at its legs. It sliced through easily, and the Crab crashed into the ground and disappeared. The third Crab ended up being smart. It dodged her constant attacks at its legs, but it had bad aim since it missed hitting her with a laser without Yumi even trying. She finally jumped high enough to land on top of the Crab. She closed her fan and stuffed it into the Crab. After leaping off it as it died, she walked to her fan lying on the ground.

They sprinted to the tower, hoping their friends could hold off the squirrels for a few more minutes. They stepped carefully and reverently into the tower. The two walked slowly to the center of the platform as if they were being drawn there and waited. Soon enough, they glided up to the second platform.

* * *

The four in the real world had given up on an orderly square. They fought on their own. Aelita and Jeremie writhed in pain as the squirrels bit and bit them over and over. Rolling around seemed to do no good, and smashing them against walls didn't help. Their staves were being guarded so they couldn't reach them. Jeremie yelped as the rabies from the squirrels began to throw him into a coma.

* * *

They touched down softly and walked into the center. A screen came up. The two girls placed their hands on it.

_Yumi/ Fianna_

* * *

Ulrich was wrestling with a squirrel. It bit him and sprang back, letting the rabies weaken his system. He looked over and saw Odd lying on the floor in a coma. He started to slowly crawl to him. Another squirrel bit him, and he sank down on the floor and gave in to the coma.

* * *

_Code_

* * *

Aelita fought with the squirrels knowing that they still had some time left. She jumped over the squirrels and grabbed her staff. She began to sweep the floor with them and got to Ulrich and Odd. Aelita dragged them over to Jeremie with a little effort. The two were in a coma and couldn't help. She pushed the three next to each other and started to fight, not just for her own, but for Jeremie, Odd, and Ulrich's lives as well.

* * *

_Lyoko_

* * *

Time seemed to stand still and watch as the white bubble thing erupted from the bottom of the tower and spread out, far away to reach the whole world within it. Aelita gasped in relief and yelled, "Return to the past now!!!" The whole world seemed to rewind and bring them back to vacation.

**In the cafeteria**

"Yes! It's finally vacation!!" Yumi smiled. Odd grinned as well.

"I had a most pleasant and enjoyable rest. Tell me, Jeremie, why do you humans sleep?" Aelita said cheerfully.

"Well Aelita, you see, we humans get tired after a long day of work. That's why we sleep," Jeremie patiently explained.

"And what is Odd eating so much for?" she asked innocently.

Ulrich smiled. "He's just a hole that can never be filled,"

Yumi grinned. 'Remember when we rescued him from Lyoko, and he was stuffing his face with mashed potatoes?"

Fianna laughed. "Yeah, and he was enjoying it."

"Hey! I was hungry!" Odd exclaimed in his own defense.

"You're always hungry, Odd. What's new?" Yumi asked, amused.

"Well, ... uh ... umm ..." Odd stammered. Yumi began to laugh, and following suit, Aelita began to giggle, and with that, everyone collapsed in mirth at Odd who couldn't seem to react. The school rang with their peals of laughter. Odd scowled at the five who couldn't seem to stop laughing.

"You know, I don't find this funny," Odd warned, looking like he was about to smile and hurt them at the same time.

"That's exactly why it's funny," Jeremie gasped out.

Odd frowned and folded his arms and watched wisely as the five nearly asphyxiated due to lack of oxygen.

"Some things never change..."

Almost done! Just about 3 chapters left! I'm planning on a sequel to this sequel. You'll have noticed the slight changes. I changed the name from Return of the Past to End of the Beginning. Just the ending has changed to accommodate the sequel. Reviews will be cherished as children, so please review!


	9. Musings

**Disclaimer: **When I blew out the candles on my birthday cake, I wished that I owned Code Lyoko... I'm still waiting for that wish to come true! I own nothing!

_princesspie45_: Thank you!

_ron stoppable_: Thanks. Well, the tower _is_ shut down. Did you mean X.A.N.A.? Well, it will be, just not yet. You'll see why.

_easterndragon65_: Thanks! It has been updated!

_Chapter 9: Musings_

It was sunset at the factory. The silence of peace rested on each on them. They watched the sun glow from behind the pillars of dark cloud hanging ominously over it. Yumi was sitting next Ulrich, and Jeremie had his arm wrapped around Aelita. Odd and Fianna were sitting behind them, snickering occasionally at the romantic scene in front of them. The pinks, reds, oranges, and yellows contrasted deeply with the darks blues and greys of the towering clouds.

"Beautiful," Aelita sighed in contentment, breaking the silence. She rested her head on Jeremie's chest, causing him to blush a dark scarlet while Odd and Ulrich smirked. Yumi shook her head in disgust at their immaturity, closed her eyes and leaned into Ulrich who flushed. Odd snorted. Fianna elbowed him, causing him to scowl at her. "On Lyoko, you never got to see any wonderful sights. It was a different time of day in each region, but it always stayed that way," Aelita continued, oblivious to the chaos behind her. "I miss my home."

"Don't worry Aelita. I'm sure, with some help from you, I can save Lyoko's settings on my laptop, for you to see whenever you want. Until then, we won't shut it down," Jeremie said.

"Sure Einstein, but what if X.A.N.A. attacks again?" Odd asked, skeptical.

"Odd's got a point, Jeremie. If we shut down Lyoko sooner, then we won't have to ever worry about X.A.N.A. again," Ulrich pointed out.

"That's true, you guys, but what about Aelita? The whole point of not shutting down Lyoko in the first place was because we wanted to help Aelita. And now that we've gotten her out of there, she feels uncomfortable without her real home. Besides, it's not the end of the world if Lyoko stays up for one more day," Yumi lectured.

"Don't be too sure it won't be the end of the world, Yumi. That's doesn't mean that X.A.N.A. won't become smart and learn from his mistakes. But I've got to agree with Yumi, the world will survive," Fianna said, pensive.

Odd thought for a bit. "Alright, one more day. We'll live," he conceded.

They returned to admiring the sunset for a while. "You know, the sunset is so bright against the darkness of the sky. It's like stars against the night," Yumi commented wistfully.

"'To be a star, you must shine your own light, follow your own path, and not worry about the darkness, for that is when the stars shine brightest.'" Fianna quoted.

"That's kind of like us, you know? Stars when the times are tough and we shine through the hardships and work," Odd commented.

"Wow Odd, I never knew you were capable of philosophy." Jeremie smiled, amused.

"Jeremie's right, you know," Yumi teased.

"Hey, just because I don't use my brain often doesn't mean I don't have one!" Odd cried, insulted.

"Odd, as my best friend and room mate, I've known you longest and closest, but I have to admit, you still amaze me. You eat your food as fast as possible, you sleep in a bunch of classes and still get average grades, manage to keep a dog away from everyone, and handle Lyoko. Now, you know philosophy. Next, you know he's turned into another Einstein, and the world can't handle two Einsteins," Ulrich sighed.

"Hey, so what if I'm wonderful? You all are just jealous," Odd smirked.

"Jealous? Of someone who spikes their hair up with a tub full of hair gel a day?" Ulrich asked in disbelief.

"Of someone who has a hairless dog?" Yumi contested.

"Of a guy who wears pink and purple?" Jeremie snorted.

"So what? I like pink and purple!" Odd retorted.

"Pink and purple are _girl_ colors, Odd," Ulrich added.

"So what if they're girl colors? And Yumi, are you insulting my dog?"

"Well, what do you think?"

"Hey, Kiwi is a sensitive and smart dog, you know."

"You put your hair in that ridiculous spike with a tub of hair gel and then dye the middle with purple? No wonder you're called Odd. You _are_ odd.

Aelita and Fianna watched, Aelita in horror and Fianna, amused beyond belief. Aelita rose to reprimand the four when Fianna raised her arm and whispered, "It's just in play, Aelita."

"But Odd is being insulted, by his own friends! Should he not take it seriously?"

"He knows they don't mean it."

"Oh, I see. Am I allowed to input my opinions?"

"Of course Aelita!" Fianna smiled evilly, waiting to see how the others would take it.

"But Odd, you wear pants and long-sleeve shirts during summer!" Yumi exclaimed

"So do you, Yumi," Jeremie commented.

"Jeremie!" Yumi glared. "Besides, you wear a turtleneck." Jeremie looked down and flushed.

"If I must say myself, Odd, you have the strangest life. You eat, no, _inhale_ your food to fill your endless stomach, you have a dog without hair, or if it is, it's grey, and in Lyoko, you are a cat-man! What kind of life is that?" a mysterious voice said off-handedly. "I still don't know much of your life, but you still have the oddest life ever."

The four turned and gaped at Aelita who was smiling innocently. Fianna beamed at her; she had done well.

Yumi was the first to speak. "You... how... why... what... when... who are you and what have you done to _our_ Aelita?!?"

"I _am_ Aelita. I just got materialized from a virtual world called Lyoko; the four regions are the desert, polar, forest, and mountains. I own the mountains, Yumi has the ice, Ulrich has the desert and Fianna's is the forest. Ulrich likes Yumi and vice versa. The materialization program was made by me and Jeremie, who worked on it for 2 ½ years. We work together to defeat X.A.N.A. who activates towers, so I deactivate them. The code is Lyoko. Odd is the strangest person I know. Jeremie is the smartest. Yumi is the most mature and sensible. Ulrich is the bond of the group. Fianna is the one who taught me new things and..." she trailed off, seeing that her audience's attention was on Fianna.

Four intense glares were trained on Fianna who was quivering like a willow branch. "You taught Aelita this?" Jeremie asked quietly.

"Uh yeah, and before I leave, Yumi, Ulrich, you may want to murder Aelita for telling your very obvious secret." Yumi and Ulrich spun around and pinned her there with their gazes. "And umm... got to go! Come on, Aelita!" The two girls sprinted away, the others just seconds away.

"Faster Fianna, faster!" Aelita yelled.

Fianna just nodded her consent, speeding up slightly, panting hard. "We've got to hide!"

"There!" she shouted, and they ducked into the phone booth. They pressed their bodies against the walls and tried not to breathe. (Yes, I know, most phone booths are clear, but this one isn't. Work with me, people!) Yumi, Ulrich, Odd, and Jeremie stopped, gasping for air. "Where... are... they?" Yumi wheezed.

"They... must... run... really... fast," Jeremie panted.

"They can't be too far," Odd said, gripping a stitch in his side.

"I can't wait to murder the both of them!" Ulrich muttered and led the chase to find them. Once all of them were out of sight, Fianna and Aelita tumbled out of the booth.

"Did Ulrich mean it when he said he would kill us?" Aelita wondered, worried.

"Of course not! Even if he did, Jeremie, Yumi, and I won't let him. Anyways, want to get ice cream while we wait for them to find us?"

"What's ice cream?"

"Oh, Jeremie forgot to explain about it. It's just... oh, I can't explain it. Trying it out would be better." The two girls wandered about until they saw an ice cream stand where Aelita got a bubble-gum ice cream cone while Fianna got a cookies n cream one. (Yum!) They sat by the lake on a bench, talking about nothing, yet everything. They watched the sunset finally come down and twilight cover the sky.

"I love twilight. It's just the blues and purples and whites blending in the sky. The stars dot the painting..." Fianna sighed.

"Indeed," Aelita closed her eyes, savoring the ice cream. "You never did tell me what ice cream is made of."

Fianna grinned. "Ask Jeremie sometime."

"Jeremie is so kind. He is patient, trying to help me understand Earth. I never thought I would be human before. But, when I met Jeremie, I was sure anything could happen. Now look. I'm here in the flesh, all through Jeremie's assistance." Aelita smiled.

"Do you like him?"

"Of course! He is my best friend. He never gave up on me, always tried to materialize me... He is special."

"True. You know how Yumi and Ulrich are like? Do you like Jeremie _that_ way?" Fianna probed.

"That is private." Aelita blushed.

"Aelita, no one is here, and you know I can keep a secret. So, do you?" Fianna asked, eyes glinting with mischief.

"Tell no one please." She looked around and whispered quietly in her ear.

Fianna nodded understandingly. A small crunch in the dewy grass alerted her to "Odd!"

"Crap."

"Yumi, Ulrich, Jeremie, get your butts away from here; we were having a _private_ conversation." Fianna scowled.

"Hey, but it was just getting interesting!" Ulrich complained.

"Yeah, Jeremie was getting so red he was turning into a tomato." Yumi laughed.

Jeremie was a interesting deep crimson. "Fianna, tell me what she said!" he pleaded as they started to walk back to their homes.

"No! I promised not to!" Fianna laughed at his begging face.

"Please?!?!?"

"No! She'll tell you herself if Yumi and Ulrich confess about their undying love for each other!" She giggled insanely.

Odd muttered, "Note to non-existent mental self: Keep Fianna away from sugar.

"No way!"

"Nuh-uh!"

"Wait, they confessed! They said that they wouldn't confess it, meaning that they do, they just don't want to admit it!" Aelita crowed in delight.

The two exchanged glances, blushed, and began to protest in unison. "We didn't mean that!"

"Yeah right." Odd smirked

"It's not what you think!" Yumi exclaimed.

"Really? Do you know what I think?" Fianna asked, interested.

"You guys are crazy!" Ulrich shouted.

"Of course we are!" Odd and Fianna chorused.

Aelita and Jeremie walked from the mad chaos and strolled along together. After a bit of silence, Jeremie dropped the bomb. (Not literally for the dimwits of you out there, no offense)

"Aelita, do you like me?"

"Of course!"

"No, I mean, like-like. You know, like Yumi and Ulrich."

The said two above turned around and yelled, "We are not a couple!" in varying degrees of volume. For Fianna and Odd, standing next to them, they went temporarily deaf.

"Well, they are denying it now, but like them? Do you love me? Because I love you."

* * *

**The author has decided to be evil and leave it there. It's... drumroll please...a cliffie!**

**Actually, the author doesn't do cliffies! They are evil, I tell you! Evil!!!! If we hate them, then most of the readers must hate them. They keep you there, waiting, waiting, waiting, waiting... Ahhhh!!! The horror!**

**Okay, the author shall now stop ranting on the evilness of cliffies... and they must diesss!!!!! My precioussss, yessss they sssshall.... Hey, keep that for The Lord of the Rings. (smack) They have the duct tape to make you shut up! Now, as I was writing, Gollum shall stop ranting on the evilness of cliffies, and let the author make a few important announcements.**

**1. I am now back at school... Evil school!!!!! I don't have as much time as before to update, though you took your sweet evil time not updating. So don't expect immediate chapter updates. It will take a while.**

**2. This story shall only last a few more chapters. Yes, it's sad, the EVIL story is coming to an end.**

**3. There _will _be a sequel. It will be the _last_ of the Lyoko trilogy, for the lack of a better title. Return to the Past will come sometime later. I need a break.**

**Now, the author will stop endlesssssly ssssspeaking on worthlesssss matterssss. Now, we hunt for my preciousssss!!!!! Now, we shall not. We shall now stop wasting your important time and get back to the story...**

**Good-bye for now, and don't forget to always look out for the bold print of morningstar and Gollum!!!! (My two alter egos)**

* * *

Aelita took a deep breath and said sincerely, "Yes Jeremie, I do love you."

Yumi, Ulrich, Odd, and Fianna stopped dead as well as Jeremie. Their mouths hung open, Jeremie's out of shock that she loved him, and Yumi's, Ulrich's, Odd's, and Fianna's that she confessed.

"Y-y-y-you d-d-d-do?" Jeremie stuttered.

"Yes, I do, Jeremie," Aelita said, smiling serenely. Jeremie's face broke into a large grin, and he hugged Aelita, twirling her around and around. The others turned around, letting Jeremie and Aelita have their moment of happiness. (Also, because the author doesn't know how to write fluff)

Yumi turned around, grinning when she realized that Ulrich was standing in front of her and taking a deep breath. "I'm borrowing Jeremie's bluntness for now, but do you love me? I know I do, and this is hard to confess. I just need to know."

Yumi broke into a smile. "Ulrich, what do you think? Of course I do!"

Ulrich smiled in return with relief. "I didn't know. Really."

"Were you that oblivious?"

"I guess I was."

Odd and Fianna turned away from both couples. "I guess everyone has turned into a pile of sappy love-mush today." Fianna grinned evilly. "What do you say we record this?"

"How?" Odd asked, grinning evilly as well.

"I brought two cameras. They're the type that can record and take pictures. (Yes, I know they cost a lot, but how else am I going to get this on camera?) I had a feeling I'd need them." She handed him on. "Can you run fast?" He nodded. "Which do you want?"

"I'll take Yumi and Ulrich. I can get some serious footage. Besides, they don't run as fast." Odd smirked.

"Traitor. Aelita won't kill me at least. Jeremie won't be able to catch up."

The two sneaked off to separate hiding places. Odd hid behind bushes to see Yumi and Ulrich talking about what they liked about each other and gazing into each other's eyes. Odd turned it on and zoomed in on them gazing starry-eyed at each other. Ulrich started tiptoe up to kiss Yumi when Odd accidentally fell into the bushes. They looked at each other and then walked up to see what it was. When they spotted Odd, he squeaked, "Crap!" and took off to Kadic Junior High, Yumi and Ulrich in hot pursuit.

"Odd, we're going to KILL you!!!!!!" Ulrich shouted. Odd screamed in mock terror and shrieked in horror as Yumi and Ulrich gained on him. He started to run at full speed. Upon reaching Yumi's house, Ulrich kissed her good-bye, saw Odd taping it, and sprinted off after him.

"Bye Ulrich!" Yumi yelled before snickering and going inside. Odd was _so _dead.

"Odd, you're not going to live this day through. When we're in our dorms, I will hurt you!!!!!" Odd winced in the bushes he was hiding in.

Fianna tiptoed over to Jeremie and Aelita who were talking. When the two looked her way, she yelped and flew into a trashcan. Luckily, it was empty and gave her a good view of them. Fianna listened long enough to realize that their conversation was about Aelita's materialization. 'Might as well tape this.' Fianna thought. It's the closest Jeremie will come to romance, for now.' As the two started walking back to Kadic, Fianna hopped out and trailing about five feet away from them. The little procession stopped in front of Yumi's house in which Yumi had entered just moments ago. "Well, here's your castle, my princess."

"Thank you, good sir. We shall meet again tomorrow." Aelita smiled before pecking him on the lips. "Ah ha!!!!" Fianna yelled in triumph as she recorded before realizing her mistake.

"Fianna, I'm going to KILL you!!! First, I'm going to pull out your eyeballs and then pull off your legs and then your arms! Then I'm going to watch your writhe in pain! After that, I'm going to cut off your head and dice your body! Finally, I will make a fire and burn your whole self!!!!!!!" Jeremie yelled in fury.

"Jeremie, don't hurt her too much. I still need a friend!" Aelita shouted after him.

Jeremie's threats mixed with Ulrich yelling at the top of his lungs, Odd shrieking like a baby, and Fianna screaming that Jeremie was too graphic.

"It's PG for heaven's sake!!"

"Odd, I'm going to kill you!!!"

"It's not that graphic! Besides, I'm just going to hurt you to the point of making you understand not to spy on me!!"

"AHHHH!!!!! Ulrich's going to KILL ME!!!!!!!!!"

Fianna dove into the nearby bushes where Odd was hiding. "Shhh."

"Where did he go? I'll have to strangle him!"

"I have to burn Fianna!"

"Let's go find them!" They cried together and ran off."

"Hey Fianna, can I sleep in your dorm? I have a feeling Ulrich would kill me in my sleep."

"Sure. You can sleep in the extra bed. It's lucky I only have one key. Also, if Jim comes, hide in the closet."

"Okay. Thank you _so_ much."

"You're welcome." They trudged off to the girls' dorms where Ulrich and Jeremie were waiting for them.

Their screams echoed through the halls of Kadic and summoned Jim to the site.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

"What's going on here? Huh?" Jim panicked slightly. He calmed slightly, seeing only Jeremie, Ulrich, Odd, and Fianna. "Okay, who's being murdered?"

"Me!" Odd and Fianna squeaked in unison.

"Alright then. Wait, why are you in the girls' dorm, you three?" The boys looked slightly nervous. Odd looked so desperate that Fianna decided to help him out.

"Odd was just walking me to my room. Those two were waiting here," she said, wide-eyed and innocent. The two scowled at her.

Jim frowned. "Alright then, go away, you two. Odd, you better leave after your good-byes." He started to herd the other two to their dorms.

Fianna unlocked her door quickly and let Odd inside. (People, it will _not_ be a romance! Perhaps it's because I can't write fluff!!) She began to rummage in her closet while Odd took the sight of her room in.

It was very clean and orderly. In the right-hand corner, there was a small mirror with a hairbrush and comb lying on the table underneath it along with a couple of bobby pins and two hair bands. In the left-hand corner, a silver laptop stood with a mouse and mouse pad on a different table. Her bed sat next to the computer while the extra one was near the mirror. A closet stood in the corner near the door. She retreated, triumphantly holding up a fluffy white pillow with golden suns embroidered in the corners. He also noticed the dark forest-green blanket had a golden sun as well. In fact, her pillow and her sky-blue comforter had silver stars.

"Did you do these?" Odd asked, gesturing to the embroidery.

"Yeah, I was bored one day. Do you like it?"

"It's nice."

Fianna flopped on her bed and sighed in relief. She walked into the closet and closed the door. "Don't come in; I'm changing!" came her muffled voice from inside the closet.

"Alright, but do you have anything I can change into? I can't wear these clothes," Odd said, kicking off his shoes. She walked out of the closet in a white shirt and purple cloth shorts and tossed a grey shirt and red cloth shorts to him. He caught them and entered the closet to change. Fianna piled her clothes on a spare chair, locked the door, and slipped into bed. Odd finished changing and fell into bed as well.

"Odd, do you snore?" Fianna asked suddenly.

A very loud snort answered her question. "Oh crap. Too bad I don't have ear plugs. I guess Ulrich won't be missing his dorm mate tonight."

And she was right. He didn't.

Are you happy? Since I can't update a lot I decided to give a longer chapter. I know it's pointless, but it was fun to write. It's just a conjunction. I needed the couples to get together and to have a intermission-like chapter. Hope you like it! Review!


	10. Ready

Disclaimer: Things I do not own: A silver Mercedes, a pair of binoculars, a real live dolphin, and Code Lyoko. Among other things.

_violett witch_: Yes, yes, I'm continuing!

_easterndragon65_: Thanks! No, it won't be; they'll just be really good friends.

_DarkSayain17_: Thanks for reviewing Hidden from the Light! And no, you can't have s'mores because there is no fire to make them with.

_CodeLyoko_: Thanks! I try to go for humor, but I'm usually very bad. It was just that day I was VERY hyper. I'm much like Fianna. Heh, that chapter was just a transition. Not many will be like this.

_Mew_: Thanks!! I've never been so flattered. I'm not the best person for laughter, but I'm glad you liked it. I shall update as best as possible with two other stories and my life away from the computer. But I will! heroic pose There will be attempted fluff, but don't expect anything very good.

Heh, I feel like an idiot. In _Routine_ and _Ghost Channel _and_ Frontier_, they confessed. Crap. I forgot! Oops. To those of you who asked in Hidden from the Light, yes my seventh-grade teacher did call us idiot children. However, she meant it in the nicest way possible.

_Chapter 10: Ready_

Odd woke up to the shrill sounds of a cell phone ringing. "Who in their right minds calls at 6:00 AM?!?" Fianna groaned in annoyance. She picked it up and began to talk.

"You must be insane to be calling me at 6 AM."

"Nice greeting."

"Oh, hi Jeremie."

"Is Odd there?"

"Yeah. What's the purpose of waking me up at 6? If it's not good, I swear I will come and kill you."

"X.A.N.A. is ready to kill us. Literally."

"Then why didn't you say so?!? We're coming!" She hung up and turned to Odd. "X.A.N.A. is ready to fight us." She swooped down, grabbed her clothes, and entered the closet to change.

Odd walked to the window. A soft blue-grey covered the sky, but in the horizon, he saw light bands of green, yellow, orange, and pink, which faded into lavender and lilacs. Turning to the east, he saw furious oranges and yellows far away. He smiled, knowing that the sun was rising. 'Like the rising and falling stars that we are," Odd thought. Realizing what he had done, he shook his head. 'Philosophy must be getting to me.'

Fianna walked back out. "Your turn, Odd... Whoa, wait, are you doing philosophy again?" she asked in disbelief. As he nodded, she shrieked and fled from the room.

"What? I'm not that weird!" he called after her. She didn't reply. He shrugged and began to change.

Fianna raced down the hallway, searching for Odd and Ulrich's room. She found it and knocked extremely fast. She was let in by Jeremie, and she saw Yumi leaning against the wall, Ulrich feeding Kiwi and Aelita sprawled on Odd's bed. "What happened?" asked Jeremie, looking at her terrified expression.

"It's Odd. He...he..." Fianna panted.

"What happened to Odd?!?" Ulrich worried.

"He's doing..._philosophy_ again!" Fianna wailed. "What happened to him?"

"Oh, good lord." Aelita sighed.

"Oh, and he needs his hair gel. It looks like a girl's."

"Well, let's all go and bring it to him." Ulrich snickered.

"Why are you so amused, Ulrich?" Yumi asked with narrowed eyes.

"Nothing!" he said with wide, innocent eyes.

The five walked leisurely back to Fianna's dorm with Odd's hair gel. Usually people would notice. But since it was 6 AM, no sane person was awake. Ulrich walked into the dorm to see Odd ready and changed with his hair flat on his head. The others stood in the doorway and openly gawked.

"What?"

"It's just your hair is flat," Aelita said, stunned, effectively voicing almost everyone's opinion.

Ulrich gave Odd his hair gel, which he proceeded to use to shape his hair into its normal spike. "So, it's time for Lyoko? Fianna ran out before she could tell me anything." This said person blushed from embarrassment.

Yumi took pity on her and took charge. "Yeah, and it's worse. We're dueling with X.A.N.A., and last time, he had 1000 lifepoints. This time will be worse. I'm sure," she said.

"Er, that _would_ be a problem. But I can maybe give you more lifepoints," Jeremie mused, thoughtfully. "Hey Aelita, can you help me?"

"Sure," she replied, and the two took off.

"Huh. I wonder what they are going to do," Fianna wondered.

Odd smirked. "What do you think? They are probably in his dorm making out."

* * *

Odd was wrong. Jeremie and Aelita were viewing the programs on changing lifepoints in the factory. It seemed impossible. Aelita also had her sword reminscent of Ulrich's own changed into a thin rowan staff with a glowing blue crystal on the tip.

Jeremie called Ulrich on his cell. "Get ready, guys. We're going to rock!"

Ulrich replied, "Riiiiight. Okay, we'll meet you at the factory."

Jeremie smiled. "Right. Get moving, huh? We're already here."

"Oh. Alright, we're coming," Ulrich muttered, a bit astonished. He hung up. "Hey Odd. You were wrong; they weren't making out."

Odd looked taken aback. "Oh."

"So what did Jeremie want?" Yumi asked, the ever practical one.

"Oh, we better go to the factory. Jeremie and Aelita are there. We need to go, now."

Fianna sighed. "Well, I hope when we get there, they aren't snogging or anything."

"What?" Odd and Ulrich had dumb looks on their faces. Yumi giggled.

"Nevermind. You don't need to know," she brushed it off. "Let's go."

They crept to the manhole, climbed down the ladder, hopped on their skateboards, and rode far into the gross smell of the sewers. In five minutes, the four leapt off and clambered to the surface level for some fresh air. They sprinted to the ropes and swung down. No tricks due to the little room and time. They rode down to the scanners where Aelita was waiting for them. The five each stepped into their own scanner, revolving slowly on the spot. The golden doors closed, leaving them in their own completely sealed capsules.

"You're going to the forest region. X.A.N.A.'s waiting. Good luck, guys. Transfer Aelita. Transfer Fianna. Transfer Odd. Transfer Ulrich. Transfer Yumi," Jeremie intoned.

White circles of light began encircle the walls of the scanner. "Scanner Aelita. Scanner Fianna. Scanner Odd. Scanner Ulrich. Scanner Yumi. Virtualization." He completed the old, well-known phrase. With that, they felt their particles fly away, reforming in Lyoko with the familiar rush of adrenaline. Their data made a real person and let them drop on the Lyoko forest ground. There was just one problem: "Where's X.A.N.A.?"

Whew! It's over!!! Yay! I am taking a small break from this; don't be worried about no updates for a while. You know, I just realized Fianna's power doesn't make sense. Uh, let it be able to read memory as well for the monsters and all. Review!


	11. Attention

ATTENTION!!!! All you faithful readers, I am sorry to say that his story has begun to be boring. Yeah, and also, there aren't many reviews. I am taking a break from it. Once I finish Cruel Fate and What If, I promise to finish this and the last of the trilogy, Return to the Past.

_CodeLyoko_: Thanks! X.A.N.A. will be here, somewhere.

So if you haven't, go read Cruel Fate! It's better than this one, I think.


End file.
